I am still somewhat of a newbie to most 80's dead but I really like this show. One of the best LRR I've ever heard. Also i LOVE this cover of Ballad of a tHin Man. One of my personal favorite Dylan songs so great to see them cover it. But like everyone else here has already said the second set takes the cake. GREAT Scarlet>Fire (Brent on fire on keys esp. during this set) and the rest of the set is just so beautifully exucted. This show has a wonderful, high energy atmosphere - great Dead show to throw on at a party for sure. Can anyone else recommend me any must-have '88 shows? I've got lots to trade. Anyone who has all or any of these shows e-mail me so we can set up a b&p or trade. http://db.etree.org/futureboy.

I can't download it so what the f*** is the use?

I know these best ofs are in the eye of the beholder but my fav of 88. saw some fun shos including Oxford Me and MSG in the fall but this one is sheer beauty

With the qualifier that my personal library of attended shows covers 1985-1995. Walked up to my best friend at the fountain the afternoon of this show. Gave him a big hug (the previous night was pretty smokin'). Said, "They're opening the second set with Sugar Magnolia tonight!" He said, "I know. The whole parking lot's talking about it." Guess we were all wrong since they opened with So What. LOL! As we were walking into the Hampton Coliseum, a rainbow was ending right on top of the Coliseum. What an omen! What a show! Post space is a bit sloppy at times but I think that's because the boys shot their load playing their butts off leading up to drums. Tight and jammy! God I love this show. Another reviewer wrote if you're having a bad day, put this show on. And he/she nailed it.

Apacolypse Now after the show, heavy stuff why not Cadyshack or Animal House. I got a little kick out of that because a couple a times if I went on short 2-3 state tour I would bring funny movies with like those above or for instance Fastimes at Ridgemont High and I was at my hotel after some Spectrum shows and I remember it went over a little to well, All kinds of Heads were wanting to come in and hang out and were offering nug and everything else some girls were getting a little crazy with shrooms cracking up watching Spicoley like it was the first time. I said to a couple of my buddies either this hotel is just Dead boring or these East Coasters just had a appetite for a movie night. Although now that Iam rambling on, I remember my buddie wacked out of his mind in the hallway carnival barker style- step right up folks Fast Times is about to begin and so on. Then of coarse I remember he was mimic-ing our fellow Dead Head dealers with Doses..Trips..Mushrooms etc. So Iam sure he had something to do with rounding up a fun party. Wow one review line about Apacolypse Now and friends having a blast and it brought me back to a similar movie night experience having fun after a Dead show. To which I say why not an 80's comedy it worked Grate for me. I had not gone to The Hampton shows in 88. Although I always liked these tapes and this is the first year I went to a Dead Concert specifically Alpine 88. I remember hearing from some heads that the Hampton run were the shows on the 88 tour thus far. During and after the shows it seemed that the Alpine shows were getting high praises and in comparison they were right there. I didn't understand to much about what was being said, but I wasn't stupid either. I remember being mezmerized by Brent during Pockey Way not Knowing the song from Adam but the crowd exploded and came alive and I was in a liquid melt down on the lawn jamming out. Anway This was the first I heard about Hampton, Dead Heads were talking about those shows at the Summer Alpine 88 run and from listening to both for years and now on Archive, my opinion is they are the 2 best runs of 88.

"Make good money five dollars a day"
The Cumberland rips- (as to be expected0 and the solo on Lay Me Down is a pschedelic waterfall check it out.

what's with the second set? where these guys on coke or something? so much energy it's amazing. I love it when Bobby screams "wait's backstage while I sing to you'all!!!!!"
The crowd goes nuts.
Last chorus on Fire Jerry nearly blows a gasket.
First Set...Stagger Lee, Ballad of the Thin Man, Cumberland/Uncle, To Lay Me Down... is not so bad either.

there seemed to be a presence that night that cannot be explained. Not your typical show. After the show I remember watching Apocolypse Now at the hotel with some buddies. We were all losing it.
Beginning of second set is worth the DL alone.

I remember. Oh well, the show was brutally good. Energy abounds.
Space>
So What>
Sugar Mag>
Scarlet>
Fire
With all due respect, it's the Miles Davis So What before Sugar Mag....but its allllll good.

Yeah, its like that.

"Like clouds a streamin'"

Epic 3 nighter. This night was definately the ONE. My head is still ringing from this show. The quality of the recording is good. I agree too much high end. I really don't think a pure board of this show would quiet the crowd noise very much though, as I recall the roars during Set 2 esp the first half of it were unreal.
The Scarlet>Fire really takes the house down :)
4 stars for quality/5 star performance

Thanks Mark Grueb if you're out there!!

Having listened to close to 300 hundo on this site for me what always defines a really hot show is not just the music but the psychic crackle that comes through the tape and resonates in your frontal lobes - this is one of those show and sadly an (increasing) rarity at this stage of the game for them.

Set II launches into space which then segues into Dave Brubeck's immortal 'Time Out' which I have heard them play between sets I and II.

If the set list doesn't do it for you, I don't know what will. Not to mention how solid the Scarlet/Fire is; a raucous Estimated and beautiful Eyes (even if it is on the short side) drums are deep and solid; space nice and jazzy and the GDTR, Miracle, Mr Fantasy back to Mags is grand. The kicker is the US blues encore. A fun show and great for the head. Having a bad day? Put this one on and your worries are gone. In my top 3 of all time, even if the tapes aren't perfect.

how can you not love ballad of a thin man.

drums and audience drums and audience...all i hear is drums and audience way TOO LOUD...no bass where you at PHIL?

....but too much high end in this mix for my taste. I have to fiddle and turn the treble WAY down to get it listenable on my rig.

Any show with a second set that contains scarlet/fire estimated, eyes and GDTRFB is a good show in my book. Great energy, though it seems to fizzle out near the end. Worth your time. Also check out the Jersey shows from this tour.

There was just something special about Hampton that always brought out the best the Dead had to offer. Too many highlights in this show to list. Best show of 1988 without a doubt. Enjoy!!

The Thin Man was awesome, the return of TLMD elicited a look of utter shock from one of my tour family. I mean, the look of perplexion on his face was truly priceless.

You knew the second set was going to smoke when Jerry was fooling around with So What. They finally gave us the Eyes we were denied at the same venue in 87. The second set was awesome, BUT....does anyone else remember some kind of a disturbance (perhaps someone getting a little too "lost") during SSDD that clearly brought the energy level down a bit?? I seem to recall something like that happening (you can hear it on the tape, too), and Jerry kind of shrugging and throwing up his hands before the U.S. Not to take anything away from an otherwise wonderful show....

If you want the best of both worlds (AUD & SBD) then this is the show for you. Amazing job with the this mix... thanks for the hard work.

Oh yeah... the Little Red Rooster is a lot of fun!

What else is there to say about this night that has not been said? As usual the matrix mix does it justice. I have worn the first half of the Second Set to the bone. The First set is rightous in its own right. Thin Man was awesome. To Lay Me Down was just perfect. I wont even take off a star because I thought the last segment was fractionally off.

my favorite show of all time. quintessential jerry on to lay me down and the second set is as good as everyone has documented. scarlet/fire, estimated/eyes are magic. gdrfb out of space was groovin. 2nd set sandwiched in sugar mag - ssdd all i could've asked for.

All the other reviews are spot on, and this show was also for me the most mindblowing I saw. But unfortunately the tape has never lived up to a perfect score. The Space->So What->Sugar Mag->Scarlet is superb (the background BTW was Bobby's pink wireless Ibanez wasn't working so the band fooled around while waiting for him; the thrill of him sprinting on to the stage strumming the opening chords of Sugar Mag is in my top 3 GD memories) but it really falls apart after Drums/Space. Pretty sloppy. But the first half of the second set should be in everyone's collection.

...I ever had at a show was the entire pre drums section of the second set...although the Eyes is a little rushed...

The Scarlet>Fire was what I'd been hoping for all day, and I got it...man, did I get it...we all got it...Holy Shit, that was amazing. The whole show rocks, but that was amazing...it was also my first experience up close and personal with the boys...I was 2 people from the stage in front of Jerry...man, what an amazingly energetic and magical night...if I could give that portion of the show 10 stars, I would...

epic 80's show. the 2nd set is really amazing. the scarlet fire is blistering. ballad thin man with no dylan-cool stuff, nuf said now dl.

this was the last time I took acid. reason being was the second set. it was so out of control i just couldn't handle it anymore. the band seemed to know that the crowd was up for a good time. they did not disappoint. i don't know what it is but there is something about Hampton that the GD loved. Just an amazing second set.